Punching fixture



Oct. 25, 1932. w, 5, UXLEY 1,884,398

I PUNCHING FIXTURE Filed Sept. 14. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVENTOR.

' WARREN 5.UxLEY A TTORNEY.

0d. 25, 1932. w. s. UXLEY 1,884,393

PUNCHING FIXTURE Filed Sept. 14. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 NV EN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

Oct, 25, 1932. w s UXLEY 1 1,884,398

PUNCHING FIXTURE Filed Sept. 14. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

WARREN $.UXLEY g, QM

IL. ATTORNEY.

Patented 25, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WARREN S. UXLEY, 0FPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB T0 EDWARD G. BUDD MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, 01' PHILADEL?HLA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION PUNCHIHG FIXTUREApplication files. deptcmber is, me. Serial no. seam.

This invent-ion relates to punching fixtures and more particularly toimprovements in the design and construction thereoi whereby to renderthe same more readily adaptable to varying work conditions and-requireu'nents.

In the metal stamping industries, and particularly in the manufacture ofall metal veliic-le bodies, it is frequently necessary to providecertain structural parts with a number of predeterminedly located holesfor the reception of those rivets, bolts and other such securingelements which are ordinarily employed in the assembly of these partsinto a unitary whole. Due to the fact that these holes are not usuallylocatedalong a straight line or in a common plane resort has been had tothe expedient of first marking the exact point or location of each holepreliminarily to forming the same through use of a suitable punchingtool. This not only required careful attention and considerable skill inorder to properly and accurately locate each punched hole but it alsoinvolved considerable man'ual labor in relatively positioning the workto be punched, with respect to the punching tool, particularly when thework was of large and unwieldy dimension.

It is among the principal objects of the present invention to provide astandardized punching tool which is adapted to be mounted upon asuitable work-supporting fixture in such manner that when the work tobepunched is properly positioned upon said fixture the punching toolwill be accurately located with respect to said work and so eliminatethe necessity of preliminarily marking the position of each hole as wellas eliminate the manual labor involved in moving the work with respectto the punching tool or vice versa.

A further object of the invention is to provide a punching tool of suchcompact form that the tool as a unit may be positionally adjusted withrespect to the work-supporting fixture to suit any varying workrequirements and conditions.

A still further object'of the invention is to provide unitary assemblyof punch, die and operating means for the punch, said assembly beingadapted for mounting upon a suitable work-supporting fixturein suchmanner as to ilar designs and construction and accordinglyinterchangeable and each of which is adapted to be independently securedupon said fixture whereby to position said units for o aeration alongpredeterminedly located punc nng axes.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a punchingtool which is adapted to be mounted in positibnally adjusted relationwith the work to be punched without necessitating any structural changesin the tool proper; and Without interfering with the eflicient operationthereof.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a punchingfixture adapted for use in providing a structural element of irregulardesign witha series of pierced holes, the said fixture being providedwith a gang of predeterminedly located interchangeable punching toolseach ofwhich is adapted to be individually and independently adjustedwith respect to the work to be punched whereby tonutomatically insurethe accurate lo cation of the punched holes.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of awork-supporting fixture upon which are adapted to be mounted a pluralityof independently adjustable punching tools, the said tools beinginterchangeable one with, the other and being provided with means forindividually mounting the same in operating position upon' said fixturesuch that the punching axes thereof perpendicularly inter= sect a lineof predetermined horizontal and vertical curvature or angularity,

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fullyhereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the combination, construction,location and relative arrangementof parts, all as Wlll be dedrawings,

tural form of the improved punching tool' and examples of the usethereof '15 are 1 is a front elevational view of a punch constructed inaccordance with the present invention V Figure 2 is a vertical sectionalview taken on the line 22 of Figure 1 the work to be punched being shownin place and the punch element in inoperative position;-

F i ure 3 is a' similar sectional view, the punc element being showndepressed and in operative position;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure3;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a work-sup porting fixture upon which areoperatively positioned a plurality of the punchingtools shown in Figures14, each of these tools being independently mounted upon the fixturesuch that the punching axes thereof perpendicularly intersect certainpredeterminedly located zones or areas, respectively, of the work to bepunched.

Figure 6 is a front elevational view of the work punching fixtures shownin Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of a different work-supporting fixture withwhich two punching tools of the character shown in the prpiceedingfigures are operatively associated; an

Figure 8 is a front elevational view of the fixture shown in Figure 7. 7

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1 to 4,inclusive, it will be observed that the punch unit as constructed inaccordance with the present invention comprises a main body or block 10provided in the frontal face thereof with a transversely extending slotor channel 11. As appears most clearly in Figure 1 this channel 11extends across the full width of the unit, the upper wall 12 of saidchannel bein extended forwardly beyond the frontal edge of the channellower wall 13. -t

Projecting upwardly from the block 10 and formed integrally therewithare a pair of laterally spaced, parallel arms 14 and 15 which, togetherwith said block, define a substantially U-shaped opening 16. Formed inthe main body or block 10 are a pair of vertically aligned bores 17 and18, the common axis of which extends .upwardly between and is spacedequidistantly from the upstanding walls 14 and 15 of the unit. Asclearly appears in Figures 2 and 3 the upper bore 17 extends between theupper wall 12 of the transverse slot or channel 11 and the base of theU-shaped opening 16, while the lower bore 18 extends downwardly fromsaid chan- -of the o nel 11 through the bottom surface of the block 10.v

Removably secured to the lower wall 13 of the channel 11 is an aperturedblock or die 19, the aperture of which is in registry with the lowerbore 18. If desired, the die may be formed as an integral component ofthe block 10. Fitted within the upper bore 17, this bore beingpreferably of larger diameter than the lower bore 18, is a sleeve 20which xtcnding transversely between he laterally r5" spaced arms 14 and15 of the punch unit is a pivot pin 24 upon which is rotatahly mountedan operating member 25 for the punch element 21. Lateral displacement ofthe pivot pin 24 is prevented, preferably by 5 the use of cotter pins 26inserted through the oppositely projecting ends of said pin 24.

The operating member 25 is of generally triangular form and of a widthor thickness substantially equal to that of the U-shapcd openin 16. Themember 25 is journalled upon the pin 24 such that the tapered endthereof is in proximity to the upper end of the punch element 21. Saidtapered end of the member 25 is also bifurcated to provide a air ofspaced knuckles 2727 for pivotal v receiving therebetween one end of alink as, the opposite end of Said link being pivotally received betweenthe knuckles 2323 of the punch element 21. The relative arrangement ofmember 25, link 28 and punch element 21 is such (see Figure 2) that atoggle joint is secured between said punch element 21 and the operatingmember 25 therefor.

shown in igure 3 it will be observed that the 8 line intersecting thepivoted ends of the link 28 will have moved into a position where itintersects the pivot pin 24 and that as a re- 1 When the member 25 isrotated from the position shown in Figure 2 to that sult thereof thepunch element 21 will have been depressed mto the operative positionshown in Figure 3, the reduced end 2201 ti'le punch being projectedthrough the die In order to facilitate the operation of the punch with aminimum of effort the free end a latera ly pro ecting handle 29, therelative position t e punc element 21 is in the operative position shownin Figure 3, the handle extends in a direction substantially normal tothe punching axis. In other words, the punch rating member 25 isprovided with of tlns handle with respect to the o ratm member 25 beingsuch that when operating member 25 and the handle 29 are stitute inefiect a bell-crank lever rotatably mounted upon the transverselyextending pivot pin 24.

When the punch element 21'is in raised or operative position theoperating handle is inclined with respect to the vertical as in Figure2. In order to revent the punch element from dropping ownwardly of itsown wei ht a suitable device is employed for releasably retaining thepunch operating member 25 in theinclined position shown in Figure 2.While any suitable detent or latch may be employed for this purpose Iprefer the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 4 wherein it will beobserved that a spherical seat or depression is provided in one face ofthe member 25 adjacent the rear edge thereof. Secured to'the outer faceof the upstanding arm 14 of the main body or block 10 of the tool,preferably by means ofithe bolts 31, is a transversely extending bar orplate 32. Both the bar 32 and the arm 14 are commonly apertured toprovide a continuous passage 33 which parallels the pivot pin 24 andwithin which is received a ball or detent 34:. This ball is urged intocontacting engagement with the punch operating member 25 by means of acoiled compression spring 35. A nut threaded into the outer end of thepassage 33 serves as the outer adjustable abutment for the spring 35.The inner end of the passage 33 is restricted, as

at 36, 00 limit the inward movement of the ball detent 34.

As appears most clearly in Figure 3, the axis of movement of the ball.detent-3t is spaced from the pivot pin 24 a distance substantially equalto the distance separating said pin 24 from the spherical seat ordepression 30. It will thus be evident that when Figure 2.

From the foregoing description it will apear that l have provided apunch tool'wherein all of the operating parts thereof are assembled intoa compact unit which is adapted to be readily mounted upon a suitablesupport or fixture. And once the unit is mounted in position theoperation thereof is at fected simply by pressing upon the operatinghandle -29. @bviouslyv by mounting the unit in various positions thepunching axis may be caused to assume varying angles with respect to thevertical or horizontal planes with the result that it becomes a simplematter to insure that said axis is perpendicularly disposed with respecttothe particular area or zone of the work to be pierced. When it isdesired to provide an irre ularly shaped stamping with a plurality 0holes the axes of which are varymgly inclined with respect to a givenplane and to each other, a suitable work supporting fixture is providedfor supporting said stamping in position and upon which a plurality ofthe punch units, hereinbefore described, are adjustably mounted in suchmanner that the punching axes thereof are in proper relation to the workto be punched. Having once definitely ascertained the proper location ofeach hole to be punched in the work and having mounted the punch unitsin roper relation upon the work supporting xture, it will be apparentthat the necessity for marking the position of each hole preliminarilyto punchin the same through the work is eliminated %or all other work ofthe same character as that for which the fixture has been set. In otherwords, having once ascertained the proper and correct setting of thepunch units upon the worksupporting fixture for a given iece of work itis merely necessary to position the work upon its supporting fixture andthen depress the several operating handles of the punch units to formthe required holes. In this man ner the proper location of each hole inthe work is absolutely assured and at the same time the labor incidentto shifting the work with respect to the punching tool is eliminated.

Figures 5 and 6 are top plan and side elevational views, respectively,of a work supporting fixture 37 upon which have been mounted a pluralityof the punch units hereinbefore described, these units being mountedupon the fixture in accordance with a predetermined plan for providingin the stamping 38 a plurality of holes in the flanged edge thereof.This stamping is of a given shape, size and configuration and it will beunderstood that the punch units are independently adjusted upon thesupporting fixture 37 such that the punching axes thereof respectivelyextend in directions normal to the zones or areas to he pierced. It willalso be understood that the punching units are identical and thereforeinterchangeable one with the other and that they require no specialmeans for securing the same in proper position, the position of eachsaid units being predeterminedly located.

Referring more particularlyto the work supporting and punch fixture 37of the Figures 5 and 6 it will be seen that said fixture comprises amain base or bed 39 suitably sup- 'gorted above the floor by thepedestals 40.

ecured to the upper face of said bed 39 adjacent the rear edge thereofis an upstanding wall 41 the upper edge of which is longitudinallycurved in substantial conformity with the similar curvature of the workto be punched. In the particular illustration shown it will be observedthat the free edge of the flange to be punched is not onlylongitudinally curved (see broken line 43 of Figure 6) but it is alsoprovided with a lateral y curved ortion (see broken line 44 of Figure5). qt will be understood that the stamping to be punched is suitablysupported upon the main base or bed 39 of the fixture 37, clamps beinpreferably employed to rigidl secure sai stamping in position.

he unchin units are supported upon the upstan ing wa l 41 of the worksupporting fixture preferably by means of the bolts 46 which areprojected through said wall 41 into the rear faces of the units (seeFigures 2, 3, and 4). As ex lained hereinbefore each unit is adapted tobe secured upon said wall in independently adjusted relation withrespect thereto. As shown in Figure 2 the punch units are mounted uponthe supporting wall of the fixture 37 such that the punching axesthereof are disposed angularly with res ect to each other and indirections exten ing substantially normal to the longitudinally curvedline 43 of the flange to 'be pierced. In order to account for lateralcurvature of said flange certain of the punch units are supported inspaced relation with respect to the su porting wall 41 by means ofsuitably forme blocks or spacers 46 which latter serve to properlyposition or locate the punching axis of each tooldirectly above the zoneor area to be punched.

It will be understood of course that the punch units are each mountedupon the work supporting fixture in such manner that the work receivingslots or channels 11 thereof are presented forwardly of the fixture andaway from the upstanding wall 41, the units being further so disposedthat said slots or channels are ada ted to freely and commonly receivetherewitliin the irregularly shaped edge of the stamping to be pierced.Figures 2 and 3 most clearly show the relative position of the work tobe pierced and'the punching tool, it being observed that the workis sopositioned that the flange thereof to be punched rests flatwise upon thedie plate of the punch unit. The curvature of the u er edge 42 of theupstanding wall 41 of the xture is preferably such that when the severalpunch units are secured in their predeterminedly located positions saidupper edge will serve to limit the downward movement of the punchoperating 'handles29 and so revent amming of the punchelements withintheir respective dies.

While Figures 5 and 6 show the general adaptability of the punch unitsfor punching- 00 a series of predeterminedly located holes in a iece ofwork of given shape and size, it will obvious that the arrangement shownmay be varied at will to suit work of a different character and shapewithout, however, necessitating any structural changes in the punch- ,edpierced holes,

1,es4,ses

ing units per se. Figures 7 and 8 show a unchin fixture for piercing thebottom flange 0? a wheel housing pane or stamping 50.

In the arrangement shown in Figures 7 and 8 a suitable work supportingfixture or jig is employed having a horizontally disposed ed or plate 51with which is operatively associated a clamping device 52. A pair ofpunching units, similar in all respects to those hereinbefore described,are mounted upon the bed or plate 51 of the fixture in such manner thatthe punching axes thereof are disposed in a plane paralleling thesupporting bed, the flange to be pierce-d being disposed in a substantially vertical plane. In order to permit free manipulation of theoperatin handles of the punching units the edge of the bed or plate 51is slotted, as at 53.

It will be understood of course that the invention may be changed fromtime to time without departing from the general spirit or princi lesthereof and it is accordingly intended to claim the same broadly as wellas specifically as indicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is 1. In combination, a work supportinfix ture or jig, a plurality of identical sel -contained unching unitsincluding punch and die an thereon, said units being each provided witha work receiving slot across which the punching element is adapted to beprojected, and means for independently securing each of said units inposition on the work support at various an les to each other and to thesu port where y to adapt said slots to commonly receive a piece of workto be pierced at substantially right angles to the direction of movementof the punches.

2. In a punching fixture adapted for use in providing a structuralelement of irregular design with a series of predeterminedly locatincombination, a main bed or support for the work to be punched, and agang of interchangeable punchin tools mounted upon said fixture, each ofsand tools bein adapted to be individually and indepen ently adjustablysecured at various angles with res ct to the support to receive anirregularly s a (1 portion of the work to be punched where y theaccurate location of the holes tobepierced. 3. In a unching fixture ofthe character described, 1n combination, a main bed or support for thework to be punched, a plurality of interchangeable self-containedpunching tools including a punch and die and 0 rating means thereformounted upon said bed or support and means for individually mountingsaid tools in position such that the punching axes thereof perndicularly intersect a line of predetermin horizontal and verticalcurvature or angularity.

to automatically insure operatmg means therefor mounted 4. In a punchingfixture of the character described, in combination, a main bed forsupporting the Work to be punched, a plurality of identical.self-contained punching tools each including punch and die, means forsecuring said tools upon saidbed in horizontally and vertically ofi'setrelation whereby to so locate the punching axes thereof: that theyrespectively intersect a plurality of predeterniinedly located areas orzones of the Work to he pierced.

In testimony whereof he hereunto afiizes his signature.

WARREN S.

